FLYERS-FLAMES GAME PREVIEW (9:45 A.M. EST)
In their final game of the 2013 calendar year and their third game in four nights, the Philadelphia Flyers (19-16-4) are in Alberta to take on the Calgary Flames (14-19-6). Game time is 9:00 p.m. EST. The match will be televised locally on CSN Philly.
This is the first of two meetings between the teams this season, and the lone game in Calgary. The teams will rematch in Philadelphia on Sat. Feb 8.
After tonight's game, the Flyers will have New Year's Day off apart from traveling to Denver. On Thursday night, the team is back in action to take on the Colorado Avalanche.
FLYERS OUTLOOK
The Flyers bring a three-game winning streak into tonight's game. After starting out the season 1-7-0, the Flyers have gone 18-10-4. They have posted a record of 6-1-1 over their last eight games and a 7-4-2 mark for the month of December.
The last two wins have come via shootout. Last night in Vancouver, the Flyers were dominated by the Canucks for long stretches of play, but a spectacular goaltending performance by Steve Mason (41 saves on 44 shots in regulation and overtime, 3-for-3 in the shootout with two actual saves and a flubbed puck).
The Flyers led 1-0 at the first intermission on a goal by a pinching Mark Streit. Vancouver got the next two goals in the middle frame on a rebound goal by Tom Sestito and a Jannik Hansen tally after sustained offensive pressure by the Sedin twins. Late in the second period, Claude Giroux re-tied the game at 2-2 on a spectacular rush up the middle, splitting the defense after a perfect lead pass by Michael Raffl, getting knocked to his knees and still having the ability on control the puck and shoot it past Eddie Läck (24 saves on 27 shots) from close range.
In the third period, Vancouver forged ahead with 2:48 remaining in regulation. Mason made a blocker stop on a Daniel Sedin shot but the puck pinballed into the net off Flyers defenseman Luke Schenn. With 47 seconds left in regulation and Mason pulled for an extra attacker, Brayden Schenn knotted the score at 3-3. After a Flyers' faceoff win, Matt Read made a strong move toward the net, Scott Hartnell poked a loose puck in front to a wide open Schenn at the right post and Schenn ended a 16-game goal drought.
In the shootout, Mason made a glove save in the opening round -- he is very strong on the glove side, and his only vulnerability in one-on-one situations is high to the blocker side. On the Flyers' first turn, Vincent Lecavalier, who had a couple great scoring chances denied by Läck earlier in the game, made a slick forehand-to-backhand-to-forehand move in close and beat the young Swedish goaltender.
In round two, Ryan Kesler lost control of the puck and the disc skittered harmlessly wide of the net. Läck, who played a very good game in his own right, made a tremendous stop on Giroux to send the skills competition to round three.
Mason ended the game by stopping Daniel Sedin cold in the Canucks' third round. The win was the Flyers' third shootout victory of the season.
With his highlight reel second-period goal and an assist on Streit's goal in the opening frame, Giroux extended his career-best point streak to nine games (six goals, 11 assists, 17 points). Voracek saw his own nine-game point streak come to an end last night, while Wayne Simmonds' five-game point streak was snapped.
Mason (16-9-4, 2.38 GAA, .922 save percentage) is likely to get a well-deserved night off after the shootout wins on Saturday and Monday. Ray Emery (3-7-0, 3.23 GAA, .885 save percentage) is the probable starter tonight. Emery last played on Dec. 21, stopping 23 of 28 shots in a 6-3 loss in Columbus.
Andrej Meszaros struggled mightily in last night's game, making coverage mistakes on each of the first to Vancouver goals. Later, he made an ill-advised pinch that caused a 2-on-1 rush that forced Mason to make a 10-bell save. Partner Luke Schenn was a minus-three in the game, but largely played into tough luck.
On the Flyers injury front, defenseman Erik Gustafsson remains out of the lineup. He could miss another week with a left knee sprain.
FLAMES OUTLOOK
The Flames have been shut out in back-to-back games on home ice since the Christmas break, getting blanked 2-0 by Edmonton on Friday and 2-0 by the Canucks on Sunday. The team is 1-4-2 over its last seven games.
This is a dangerous game for the Flyers: The Flames figure to be a hungry team tonight. The combination of playing a struggling opponent one night after grabbing a thrilling win against a marquee NHL opponent plus the potential latter-game fatigue of playing three games in four nights gives this match all the making of a "trap game."
Jiri Hudler leads the Flames in scoring coming into tonight's game, with 33 points (11 goals, 22 assists) in 39 games. Veteran forward Mike Cammalleri (12 goals leads the club in goal scoring) but the future cornerstone of the franchise is rookie forward Sean Monahan (10 goals, 16 points).
Yesterday, Calgary acquired right winger Kevin Westgarth from the Carolina Hurricanes in exchange for Greg Nemisz. He is not expected to be available for tonight's game.
On the Calgary injury front, veteran forward Curtis Glencross is sidelined with a high ankle sprain. Defenseman Dennis Wideman is on injured reserve with a broken hand.
PROJECTED LINEUPS (Subject to change)
FLYERS
12 Michael Raffl - 28 Claude Giroux - 92 Jakub Voracek
19 Scott Hartnell - 10 Brayden Schenn - 17 Wayne Simmonds
24 Matt Read - 14 Sean Couturier - 40 Vincent Lecavalier
36 Zac Rinaldo - 18 Adam Hall - 9 Steve Downie
44 Kimmo Timonen - 5 Braydon Coburn
8 Nicklas Grossmann - 32 Mark Streit
41 Andrej Meszaros - 22 Luke Schenn
29 Ray Emery
[35 Steve Mason]
Potential Scratches: Jay Rosehill (healthy), Chris VandeVelde (healthy), Hal Gill (healthy), Erik Gustafsson (sprained knee), Chris Pronger (LTIR, post-concussion syndrome).
FLAMES
13 Mike Cammalleri - 11 Mikael Backlund - 32 Paul Byron
24 Jiri Hudler - 23 Sean Monahan - 54 David Jones
39 T.J. Galiardi - 18 Matt Stajan - 22 Lee Stempniak
17 Lance Bouma - 8 Joe Colborne - 16 Brian McGrattan
5 Mark Giordano - 3 Ladislav Smid
44 Chris Butler - 7 T.J. Brodie
27 Derek Smith - 55 Shane O'Brien
31 Karri Ramo / 29 Reto Berra
Potential Scratches: Curtis Glencross (IR, high ankle sprain), Dennis Wideman (IR, hand), Blair Jones (IR, knee), Kris Russell (sprained MCL), Kevin Westgarth (not yet with team), Markus Granlund (healthy), Christopher Breen (healthy).
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